Board of Directors

Kate has served as Director, Global Manufacturing Finance for Minnesota-based Polaris industries since 2013. In her time at Polaris, she has worked on greenfield start-up manufacturing operations in the US and Europe, foreign subsidiary entity accounting operations, and problem solving cost effective ways to optimize complex plan operations to keep pace with market demands. She also enjoys commuting to work on her Indian motorcycle during the summer months.

Before joining Polaris, Kate worked for ten years in a series of finance positions at General Electric (GE) across many industries in the North America, Asia and Europe. Her GE work included stints at GE Plastics, GE Corporate, GE Money Bank Japan, GE Power & Water, GE Energy, and GE Oil & Gas working in a broad scope of roles including accounting, audit, banking, restructuring, ERP implementations, acquisition integrations, portfolio sales, commercial sales finance, and tax. She moved around the country and overseas, as well as traveled extensively during her time with GE, fueling a deep passion for learning about and traveling the world.

Outside of her work, Kate is involved with her college alma mater and seeking adventure. Kate served a four-year term from 2011-2015 as co-chair of the Twin Cities and Greater Metro region for the Brown University Admissions Interviewing Program, coordinating interviews with hundreds of students with volunteer alumni across the state of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. She received her B.A. from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island in 2002. An avid sports and outdoors enthusiast, Kate is passionate about competing in endurance athletic events. She has completed running a marathon on each of the 7 continents, taking her from the Great Wall of China, to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, to the pristine Antarctic. She has also completed three 140.6 mile Ironman triathlon competitions and is always looking for the next challenge.

Larry Goode is founder and President of Goode Advisors, Inc. Larry's career represents more than 30 years of success in sales, sales management, marketing, business management and international sourcing and operations. Before founding Goode Advisors, Larry served for 20 years as CEO and Owner of RT/Dygert International, which he expanded from a single location, $1MM local distributor operation with 6 employees into one of the largest, most respected seal distributors in the country, with locations in Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle and Shanghai, China.

Goode Advisors provides strategic consulting resources focusing on small businesses and their owners. Goode Advisors brings over 30 years of experience in small business management, employee development, succession planning, sales and marketing planning bringing a unique knowledge of the issues that affect you the most. In addition, Goode Advisors offers extensive expertise in human resource management, IT system management, executive compensation plans and public relations.

Jessica Hellmann is the director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. As director, she provides overall strategic leadership for the Institute, an internationally recognized organization working to solve grand environmental challenges, while promoting interdisciplinary research, teaching and leadership across the university and engaging external partners and stakeholders. She is also the Russell M. and Elizabeth M. Bennett Chair in Excellence in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior in the College of Biological Sciences.

Hellmann’s research focuses on global change ecology and climate adaptation. She was among the first to propose and study ways to reduce the impact of climate change through new techniques in conservation management. Hellmann led an important paradigm shift in ecology and natural resource management by showing that adaptation — living with climate change — is just as crucial to the future of humanity and Earth’s ecosystems as slowing and stopping greenhouse gas emissions. Her research and that of her students also has shown that differences in the way populations respond to climate change are key to predicting and managing their future.

Hellmann regularly counsels state and national governments on habitat management, restoration and endangered species conservation so future generations can enjoy the beauty and function of nature as we do today. In addition, building upon her seminal findings in ecology, Hellmann has extended her work on climate change adaptation to human systems, including health, infrastructure, food and water. She works with governments and corporations to build investment in climate change adaptation and co-authored several climate assessment and adaptation planning efforts, including the biodiversity and ecosystem portions of the Chicago Climate Action Plan and the 2014 National Climate Assessment.

Before she joined the University of Minnesota in 2015, Hellmann was on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame in the Department of Biological Sciences. She also served as research director of the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, which assesses and ranks the vulnerability of nations around the world to climate change and their readiness to adapt to climate change. She continues to collaborate with ND-GAIN as a core research member, mentoring several ND-GAIN researchers based at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere around the country. In addition, she led the climate change adaptation program at Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative and directed GLOBES, an interdisciplinary graduate training program in environment and society, among numerous other high-level academic and scientific responsibilities. She also founded Notre Dame’s undergraduate minor in sustainability.

Hellmann earned her Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University and served as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation and the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Biodiversity Research. She is an alumna of Stanford’s Leopold Leadership Program and a recipient of a career enhancement fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. She became a member of the Notre Dame faculty in 2003.

Hellmann is a frequent contributor to leading scientific journals such as Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, BioScience and PLOS ONE. She serves on the editorial board of the journal Evolutionary Applications, is an associate editor with both Conservation Biology and Elementa, and serves on committees for the Ecological Society of America, the College Board and the National Academy of Sciences.

A skilled science communicator, Hellmann is routinely called upon by leading media outlets around the world such as CNN, NPR, Fox News, The Telegraph and the Chicago Tribune to provide expert input on topics related to global change and ways to minimize adverse impacts to people and nature.

Originally from Indiana and Michigan, Hellmann enjoys a wide range of activities, including marathoning, traveling the world, exploring the Midwest, gardening and spending quiet time with her husband and daughter.

Douglas Jaeger is an experienced business leader with a track record of positioning businesses for advancement and innovation both in heavily regulated and non-regulated environments. Doug is currently the President and CEO of Ulteig Engineers in St. Paul, MN. Ulteig provides engineering and technical services to the power, renewable energy, oil & gas, transportation and water sectors. As CEO, Doug is accountable for driving overall business performance and building awareness of the company's broad technical capabilities while expanding client relationships and extending services and markets served.

Prior to this role, Doug served as principal of AMP Advisors, providing advisory and consulting services to the private equity industry around strategy and investments in the energy and energy services sectors. From July 2008 through December 2013, Doug served as chief executive officer of Adolfson & Peterson Inc. (A&P), an $800 million national construction firm with concentration in medical, energy, government, senior housing, and education segments. Before joining A&P, Doug held leadership positions in marketing, sales, operations, and business development with Xcel Energy, Exelon Corporation and Honeywell, Inc.

Doug serves on the Board of Advisors for Computype, Inc. in St. Paul and the Board of Directors for CE Power Solutions in Cincinnati. He is also serving or has served on numerous non-profit boards including Minnesota Independent Schools Forum, Prodeo Academy, Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company, and the Northern Star Council of Boy Scouts of America. In 2010, Twin Cities Business Magazine selected Doug as one of the "200 Minnesotans You Should Know" Honorees. In 2006, he was chosen as one of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" honorees for his achievements and dedication to the community.

Doug holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN and an undergraduate degree from St. John's University in Collegeville, MN. He and his wife Laura have 4 children and reside in the Twin Cities.

Will Kaul is Great River Energy’s vice president for transmission. He has been employed by Great River Energy or its predecessor companies for over 33 years.

Kaul is a founder of CapX2020 and has served as its chair since its formation in 2004. CapX2020 is a collaboration of nine utilities that have jointly planned and are now constructing a $2 billion expansion of the high voltage grid serving a large region in the Upper Midwest. He is also a founder, director and past president of WIRES, a Washington, D.C. based working group that promotes investment in the transmission grid. In 2010 he was elected to serve as a representative of the transmission owner/developer sector in the DOE sponsored Eastern Interconnect Planning Collaborative Stakeholder Steering Committee.

Kaul has appeared before Congress and numerous state and federal legislative and regulatory bodies. He is also a frequent presenter at national conferences.

Prior to his employment by the cooperative, Kaul worked at the Minnesota Legislature and for the Minnesota State Planning Agency.

Kaul has served on an advisory council to the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank and as a director of the Will Steger Foundation. He is currently a director on the boards of the Graywolf Press and the Great Plains Institute.

Kaul holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota.

Rolf Nordstrom is President and CEO of the Great Plains Institute. He has nearly 30 years of experience in energy and sustainable development policy and practice in both governmental and non-profit settings, including the U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch in Minnesota and non-profit organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Among his other duties, he currently leads GPI’s “e21 Initiative” to better align how utilities earn revenue with evolving customer demands & public policy goals. For much of his career Rolf has worked to broker agreement among disparate interests on difficult public policy issues. Rolf has a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Carleton College and a Master’s Degree in International Environmental Policy from Tufts University.

Dan has a forty-year career in Midwestern investment banking (RBC-Dain, Allison-Williams, Northland Securities,) and municipal finance (Springsted, Public Finance Systems, Evenson-Dodge), to private and public entities. Dan’s finance expertise includes structuring of water, wastewater, solid waste, public power, transportation, and sports/event facilities. He has served as a city councilman (Afton, MN), and in various roles on regional and local planning boards and committees. He's testified before Midwest legislatures on issues related to water, solid waste and transportation. He's served on several Minnesota Pollution Control Agency solid waste advisory boards, as well as the Vermillion River Watershed Management District.

Dan worked with the University of Minnesota in the development of biomass energy concept projects that utilize combustion and gasification technologies. He also supported clients in developing food and agricultural waste anaerobic digestion projects for transport fuel and power generation.

Dan served in the U.S. military, including several years on NATO’s General Staff in its Naval Intelligence Cell in Brussels, Belgium. He is a Saint Louis native. He graduated from Saint Benedict’s College in 1969 and holds a B.A. in History and Government. Dan has four daughters and lives in rural Stillwater with his wife, Nan.

Win Rockwell is the founding Executive Director of Green Minneapolis, a multi-project parks and greening conservancy launched in 2015 to advance the greening of Downtown Minneapolis. Initial projects of Green Minneapolis include the Commons Campaign to fund the construction and initial operations of The Commons, a new downtown park adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium; and the operation of The Commons as Minneapolis’ first downtown destination park.

Before Green Minneapolis, Win was a partner in the Minneapolis office of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP where he concentrated on strategy development for clients and FaegreBD itself. Among his client work, Win led a team that advised Los Alamos National Laboratory on its innovation assets strategy that included a significant focus on energy.

Win currently serves on the Advisory Board of Climate Generation, a Will Steger Legacy; the Advisory Board of the Joint Degree Program in Law, Science & Technology at the University of Minnesota; and; and the Greening and Public Realm Implementation Committee for the 2025 Plan of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. He previously served on the Minnesota Advisory Board of The Trust for Public Land and the Minneapolis downtown Gateway Committee. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife Binky.

Win served as associate general counsel of President Carter's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island. Following the conclusion of his work on the Commission, Win was retained privately by the owner of Three Mile Island to conduct independent investigations of allegations of wrong-doing against the company. He subsequently testified as an expert before the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission in connection with his independent investigations. Win spoke at the 2014 Three Mile Island 35th Anniversary Symposium: The Past, Present and Future of Nuclear Energy sponsored by Stanford University and Dartmouth College.

Win is a Fellow of the British-American Project founded by the Royal Institute of International Affairs and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Before law school, he worked on the Foreign Desk of the New York Times and as an Assistant to the President of Dartmouth College. He received his A.B. from Dartmouth College in 1970 and his JD from New York University in 1975.

Amy Skoczlas Cole has helped to advance the sustainability and business movement for 20 years from a variety of roles within the business and NGO sectors. She is currently the Principal at her own consulting firm, S3 Sustainability Strategies. S3 Strategies serves foundations, non-profits and corporations with strategic guidance on redefining the role of business within society. Prior to launching S3 Strategies, she served as Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Pentair where she led a shared value program of work designed to secure safe water, abundant energy and affordable food through deployment of the company’s expertise, products, and philanthropic dollars. She managed the company's sustainability efforts, as well as The Pentair Foundation, including Project Safewater, which has provided over 500,000 people with access to clean water.

In previous roles, Amy served as eBay Inc.'s sustainability leader, and co-founder of Conservation International's Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. Amy worked for several years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on sustainable development efforts with pulp, energy and mining companies.

As well as serving on the Board of Directors of the Great Plains Institute, Amy also serves on the advisory board for the University of Minnesota Institute on Environment’s Ensia magazine and event series. Amy holds an MBA from George Washington University, and a BA in Environmental Public Policy from Vanderbilt University.